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Stolen Enigma Machine Held For Ransom

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the you-gotta-be-kidding-me dept.

AaronLane writes: "The BBC has a story on the robbery, and ransom of one of the only three German Enigma encryption machines from World War Two. The people holding the machine say they bought it unknowingly, and want to be compensated before giving it back, or they will destroy it. The Bletchley Park musuem, from which the machine was stolen, is offering 25,000 pounds." [timothy butts in --] Here's a link to the slashdot story posted when the machine was stolen.

4 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Re:US should pay Germans? by irix · · Score: 5

    Nothing is ever so clear-cut.

    The intelligence was provided by the Polish (who were breaking some German Army Enigma before the war, and got some of this info, including an Army Enigma, to the British) the French (why had a German spy giving them Enigma codebooks) and the British and Canadians (who captured enigma wheels and codebooks on *several* raids on sinking U-boats and German weather ships). The British (Alan Turing) were the ones who were working on the codebreaking efforts during the critical years of the war.

    It wasn't the Enigma machine itself that was so valuable (they knew how it worked before the war) but instead the wheels (especially when a wheel was added) and also the codebooks that contained the wheel and plugboard settings.

    The Americans provided additional bombes (mechanical computers used to brute-force Enigma settings) to the effort later in the war. The Americans were also busy breaking the Japanese Naval cypher as well (entirely different).

    Everyone contributed - there is lots of national pride to go around. :)

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    Do you even know anything about perl? -- AC Replying to Tom Christiansen post.
  2. The fools! by mwalker · · Score: 5

    The fools! Instead of stealing the Enigma machine, they could instead sue Bletchley Park for bypassing the Enigma machine's access protection device! By suing under the DMCA, they could bankrupt Bletchley Park and seize all their assets, including the Enigma machine!

    Silly robbers. Don't they understand the way to commit crimes these days is to use the law?

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    What happens when you outlaw guns
  3. i can imagine the ransom note... by hamburger+lady · · Score: 5

    CYGQ RTTY FAPRRG QYIDH GBNV XCM SKAF LPQFRPLS!! or the machine gets it...

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    Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
  4. This would make a good Counter-Strike map. by AFCArchvile · · Score: 5

    Let's call it cs_enigma. No hostages, but the counter-terrorists have to storm into the blokes' apartment and recover the machine. The enigma itself will probably be an add-on (item_enigma), so when a CT picks it up, he has to evacuate the premises and run for the main street! "Counter-Terrorists Win!"

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    "Ancillary does not mean you get to rule the world." --U.S. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, speaking to the FCC's lawyer